A media veteran's look at what's right with what we write, read, hear and see, and what's dreadfully wrong.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Swift Justice For New York Times Icon David Rosenbaum

Second Of His Two Killers Convicted Of Murder In Swift Move Through Justice SystemThis is how stupid Percy Jordan is. First, he's arrested for murdering New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum.After an accomplice, his cousin Michael Hamlin, pleads guilty to second-degree murder, Jordan could have copped to that plea and maybe stand a chance of getting out of prison before he died. That's unlikely to happen now.Jordan inexplicably decided to take his chances at trial, and was convicted of first-degree murder with a minimum sentence of 30 years to life, despite overwhelming evidence against him, not to mention Hamlin's testimony.Good riddance.Beyond losing a journalist who had contributed so much to his peers better understanding the inner workings of the government and who had so much left to offer, the tragedy of his death is compounded by the fact that he could have been saved.But a misdiagnosis at the hospital -- Rosenbaum's traumatic blow to the head from Jordan striking him with a pipe was mistaken for intoxication -- and an indifferent and incompetent response from paramedics helped seal his fate.That's led to a lot of reforms and soul-searching in D.C. over how to properly respond to emergency calls. Sadly, that will also be part of Rosenbaum's remarkable legacy.